Powder Coating an E-Moto Frame: What Happens, Start to Finish
Stripped, masked, coated and back before spring. What a frame and swingarm powder coat involves at RYVOX, and why winter is the time to do it.
Riding slows down around Colorado Springs from November to March. That makes winter the best time for the one job that takes a bike off the road for a week: a fresh powder coat on the frame and swingarm. Here is what the job involves, start to finish, and how to book it.
What powder coat is
Powder coat is a dry powder sprayed onto bare metal and then baked. In the oven it melts and flows out into one hard, even skin. It is generally thicker and more chip-resistant than spray paint, which is why it suits a frame that takes rocks, roost and boots every ride.
Step by step
1. Teardown
The bike comes apart down to the bare frame and swingarm. Everything that bolts on comes off.
2. Back to bare metal
The old finish comes off completely. Powder needs clean, bare metal to bond to, so the finished coat depends on this step.
3. Masking
Anywhere a part has to press in or thread in gets plugged before any powder goes on, like bearing bores and threaded holes. Powder in those places means parts that will not fit.
4. Powder and cure
The powder is sprayed on and the frame is baked to cure it.
5. Reassembly and a shakedown ride
We put the bike back together and test-ride it before it goes home.
Finishes
Gloss, metallic and flake. A few recent frames:
Turnaround and price
About a week, depending on colour availability. The job covers teardown, the frame and swingarm coat, reassembly and a shakedown ride. The current price is on the Custom Powder Coat booking page.
How to book
- Pick a colour, or text us a photo of the look you want: (719) 791-1971.
- Book it on the Custom Powder Coat page and bring the bike to the shop at 1830 Palmer Park Blvd, Unit B, Colorado Springs.
- Pick it up about a week later.
Questions
Will it work on my bike?
Text us your bike and a photo of the look you want, and we will tell you exactly what it takes.
Why winter?
The bike is off the road for about a week. Over the winter that week costs you no riding, and the bike is back before spring.
What else can we do while it is apart?
With the bike torn down, it is a good time for any other work you have been putting off. Everything beyond the powder coat gets photos and a written quote first, and nothing extra happens without your yes. See the service menu.